01-30-2008, 05:33 AM
<b>Disparate grants driving a wedge in army</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Courage is priced differently by different states. For instance, a soldier from Gujarat feted with the Param Vir Chakra by the Centre gets just Rs 22,500 as reward from the state. In Punjab, though, the medal would fetch a soldier Rs 25 lakh.
In operational terms, this is creating rifts within the force. A senior officer told HT that there were instances of soldiers from less generous states showing reluctance to lead the charge in a difficult operation. âThey tend to encourage their comrades from other states which offer higher cash grants. It weighs on their minds,â he said. The Army is not a provincial unit. It fights for one country and such discrimination can be disastrous: an Army officer, on condition of anonymity. See the graphic.
Former Army Chief General V.P. Malik said, âTroops do feel bad when the same acts of valour are rewarded differently. But I do not think it impacts their functioning.â The government had set up a committee of chief ministers after the Kargil war to look into cash grants offered by different states. Senior officers said state governments had created a dangerous division within the force.
Thereâs proof to back those fears. Gujarat offers a cash grant of just Rs 20,000 to winners of the Ashok Chakra, the peacetime equivalent of the Param Vir Chakra. But if a soldier belongs to Himachal Pradesh or Punjab, he gets Rs 25 lakh.
The bulk of the remaining states â including Bihar, Delhi, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu â offer a cash grant of Rs 1.45 lakh for the same act of gallantry, aside from an insignificant annuity.
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http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/special...1-08_awards.htm
Not sure who is responsible for this stupidity? Everything starts from Congress who ruled India with its stupidity for very long.
In operational terms, this is creating rifts within the force. A senior officer told HT that there were instances of soldiers from less generous states showing reluctance to lead the charge in a difficult operation. âThey tend to encourage their comrades from other states which offer higher cash grants. It weighs on their minds,â he said. The Army is not a provincial unit. It fights for one country and such discrimination can be disastrous: an Army officer, on condition of anonymity. See the graphic.
Former Army Chief General V.P. Malik said, âTroops do feel bad when the same acts of valour are rewarded differently. But I do not think it impacts their functioning.â The government had set up a committee of chief ministers after the Kargil war to look into cash grants offered by different states. Senior officers said state governments had created a dangerous division within the force.
Thereâs proof to back those fears. Gujarat offers a cash grant of just Rs 20,000 to winners of the Ashok Chakra, the peacetime equivalent of the Param Vir Chakra. But if a soldier belongs to Himachal Pradesh or Punjab, he gets Rs 25 lakh.
The bulk of the remaining states â including Bihar, Delhi, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu â offer a cash grant of Rs 1.45 lakh for the same act of gallantry, aside from an insignificant annuity.
............<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/special...1-08_awards.htm
Not sure who is responsible for this stupidity? Everything starts from Congress who ruled India with its stupidity for very long.